Cellar Tours Blog

Spain is packed full of beautiful towns and villages, ranging from the Arab white washed hamlets of the south to slate “pizarra” villages of the north to sandstone pueblos in the Balearic islands and tropical architecture of the Canary islands. It is near impossible to pick ten, but here is a good start: our selection of the ten most darling villages in Spain, in our most humble opinion.

Feel free to tell us your favorites, too as there are dozens more gorgeous towns!

40 Responses to “Ten Most Beautiful Villages in Spain”

I would have to say Vejer de la Frontera is missing, such a great little town, great food, great hotels, very beautiful and simple and close to the beach, small ones like Zahara de los Atunes.
Also Sepulveda outside Pedraza is very cute I hear, but Pedraza I loved!!! No McDonalds, no H&M, no supermarket, just small, quaint and charming.

Wonderful photos. I can live vicariously through you. My wife and I have travelled in the Mediterranean many times, but with teenagers at home now it is difficult to recapture the romance of the smaller villages. Thank you.

Other gorgeous Spanish villages include Laguardia in La Rioja, Abarracín in Teruel, Fornalutx in Mallorca, Santillana de Mar in Cantabria (although very touristy), Nerja in Málaga, Grazalema in the south, and Peralada & Peratallada both in Girona

I agree with Maria – Vejer de la Frontera is missing from your list. Vejer has incredible charm and history. Spectacular views too. In Vejer you can sit enjoying lunch in one continent whilst looking towards another! Fantastic restaurants, several boutique hotels and bars – as well as proximity to the wonderful beach of El Palmar, historic Cabo de Trafalgar, vibrant Cadiz and Sherry coated Jerez. I would recommend visiting Vejer rather than Ronda – Ronda is hardly a village. Ronda boasts a Michelin stared restaurant (although I think it may have lost it’s status) as well as a Macdonalds and a fabulous Parador – all next door to eachother – makes a great photo!! However – Ronda wines are great and well worth going out of your way to find. Great vineyards to visit.

All these are spectacular, but I would not classify Cadaques, Hondarribia, Ronda, Trujillo or Ubeda as “villages.” Under the heading of villages, Setenil, Grazalema, Olvera, Ubrique and Zahara de la Sierra in Cadiz are very special, but several of them are even edging out of the “village” size. I think Getaria is as pretty and spectacular as Hondarribia.

We met in Madrid, ex manager of Scott´s hotel in Galilea. I would like to add Esporles, Mallorca to your list of most charming villages. My husband and I live here and are in heaven. We even have Mallorca´s only certified organic olive oil and wine producer here; ES VERGER, wonderful place to send your clients, and the owner, Miguel Fullana, is my English studentKym

Hi Sally, absolutely. Cadaques is lovely and is a tiny hamlet. Another beautiful spot and gourmet paradise is San Sebastian on the Atlantic side in Basque Country. Aiguablava on the Costa Brava has delish scenery and snorkeling possibilities, kind of like Carmel in Northern California. There are really countless villages and towns we love on the sea, but these 3 would be faves.

Great information here. My family and I are leaving this Friday to look at some of these areas to pick one to live for a year. We are going on a sabbatical! Kids 11 and 13. Any ideas where? Looking for a nice small “non sleepy” type town that would have good schools, restaurants, good climate, water view? I’m having a hard time finding “all in one” village great for kids. I’m sure it’s out there. Thanks in advance.

Hola, Louise, My husband and I are looking for a small town nearish Madrid where we want to live for about 3 months. Our daughter is going to university in Madrid so we want to be as near to her as possible and still not live in a big city. I’m curious as to whether you found a town that worked for you and your family.

Hi Terri, oh yes there are many wonderful day trips you can do from Madrid. Toledo is an easy one, yes very touristy but very striking architecturally. There is a fast speed train there and you should have lunch at Adolfo’s fine restaurant, well worth it. So much to see and do there. Also lovely is Aranjuez with its Royal Palace and gardens, reachable by train too. If you have a car, you could visit adorable Chinchon with a pretty Parador and main square. Further afield is Cuenca with its hanging houses. And then for a relaxing half day out of Madrid, you could go to the mountain town of Cercedilla for a roast lunch, great asador restaurants there and follow with a gentle hike on one of the pretty well marked trails- again reachable by train. Enjoy!

3 of us will be in ending a work trip in Porto July 8 and want to travel to Spain but only have 3 days and need to be back in Lisbon on the 11 for our flight home on the 12th. Any suggestions? We are not fans of large tourist areas-love the local traffic. Thanks, this is our first visit to Spain.

Hi. I am looking for a recommendation where to visit in Spain from either Lisbon or Porto. I only have 3 days. I enjoy local color, quiet, villages, beaches, cafés, old churches. Not. Into big cities. I was planning to take the train from Porto to Lisbon and then travel into Spain for 2-3 days. Any suggestions?

From Lisbon you can take a lovely excursion to the fishing village of Nazaré, a treat. Or head inland to the wonderful medieval villages of Alentejo like stunning Marvao. From Porto we would highly recommend the pretty town of Aveiro for nice restaurants, charming canals, etc. Or head into the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, a beautiful small town with great restaurants and a picturesque old town, enjoy!

With such little time I would recommend first heading just north of Porto to Galicia, visiting Santiago de Compostela and hamlets on the coast. Then head back into Porto and take the train back to Lisbon. Galicia is located in what is known as Green Spain and won´t be too hot like other areas of Spain in July. There is a wonderful, historic Parador in Santiago, along with many boutique hotels and inns. And if you love seafood, this is the right place!

We’re travelling to Lisbon and then Porto. Can you suggest any smaller places near both of them with good rail or bus links. We might not have a car but want to spend about a week out of Lisbon and a week out of Porto. This would be after a few days in each.

Visting Spain for the first time in June for 9 days during our daughter’s break from her study abroad in Rome. With only 9 days, thought I would spit out time between a bigger city (four nights)…maybe Madrid or Barcelona, requiring more work and end with a pretty coastal town (four nights). Looking for charm, culture, great food, relaxed pace, not touristy. Would love your thoughts for an itinerary that would be enjoyable without trying to do too much in a short time.

I would also like to mention Marinaleda, it’s 65 miles from Malaga, just inside Sevilla. The heart renching history of this wonder pueblo village and the people there is something really special, truly Utopia!